Henry Nyland

Henry Nyland, whose work as a marine engineer speaks for him, is endowed with an earnest, studious personality. He has earned the respect and esteem of those with whom it has been in the order of his marine life to associate.

Mr. Nyland was born in Grand Haven, Mich., on December 6, 1863, his parents being A.J. and Dena (Schowenaar) Nyland. His father is a native of Holland, the land from which the early settlers of New York migrated, and his mother of Zealand. They came to the United States in 1848, stopping a short time in New York, and going thence to Holland, Mich., where they settled on a farm. Some years later the family moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., were Mr. Nyland, Sr., started in business as a tanner, conducting that until it was destroyed by fire; after which he went to Milwaukee, later returning to Holland, Mich., where he again went into business. In 1887 he purchased the controlling interest in the Grand Haven Leather Company, removed to that city, and as president and general manager devoted his attention to the building up of the business, in which he has been eminently successful by virtue of his large practical knowledge and enterprise.

Henry Nyland, the subject of this sketch, received a liberal education in the public schools of Milwaukee and Holland, and in 1881 adopted a lake faring life by shipping as fireman on the steamer Fannie Schriver, plying between Holland and Saugatuck, a berth he retained two seasons, joining the excursion steamer Macatawa the following spring. He then stopped ashore two years as engineer of the Grand Haven Leather Company's plant, of which his father was president, holding that position until 1889, when he was appointed chief engineer of the Grand Haven city waterworks. In the spring 1891 he again took up his steamboat life, this time as chief engineer of the Charley West, owned by George T. Arnold, and after two seasons took charge of the passenger steamer T. S. Faxton.

In the winter of 1893-94 he put the engine into the steamer Islander, and brought her out new and ran her during the season, laying up both the Islander and Ossifrage at the close of navigation, after which he entered the employ of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad Company as chief of the F. & P. M. No. 5, on her winter route, running her that winter and the two following years, when he was transferred to F. & P. M. No. 3, of which he was chief for some time.

On June 3, 1887, Henry Nyland was united in marriage to Miss Mary J., daughter of William and Margaret (Lynch) Cantwell, of Marcellus, Mich. The children born to this union are Madgie Jane, and Herman W. The family homestead is No. 869 Marshall street, Milwaukee, Wis. Socially, Mr. Nyland is a charter member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial order of the Maccabees.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.